JP7297893B2 - automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to automated analyzers.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an automatic analyzer that performs analysis by mixing various reagents and specimens has a reagent cooler that holds these various reagents. This reagent cooler has a reagent aspirating hole in a part of the lid member so that the retained reagent can be easily aspirated, and the reagent aspirating hole is always open.

The inside of the reagent cooler is generally kept at a temperature lower than room temperature, but since the above-mentioned reagent aspirating hole is always open, outside air flows in through this hole and condensation occurs inside the reagent cooler. do. Alternatively, the temperature in the vicinity of the holes for reagent suction rises due to the inflow of outside air, and the temperature distribution in the cold storage becomes uneven. Therefore, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for preventing the inflow of outside air and preventing dew condensation by sending cooled air from outside the reagent cooler.

JP 2009-270857 A

In the prior art, cooling of the reagent cooler, cooling of the air sent into the reagent cooler, and air stirring means for equalizing the temperature in the reagent cooler were performed using separate devices. Using separate devices in this manner has the problem that the power consumption of the autoanalyzer is large and the configuration thereof is complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide an automatic analyzer capable of preventing dew condensation in a reagent cool storage and uniformizing temperature with low power consumption and a simple configuration.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an automatic analyzer for performing analysis by mixing reagents and specimens, comprising a reagent cool box for storing reagent containers, and a reagent cool box installed inside the outer wall of the reagent cool box, Refrigerant piping that circulates the refrigerant inside the outer wall, an air pipe that is installed inside the outer wall in contact with the refrigerant pipe and guides the outside air existing outside the reagent cold storage to the inside of the reagent cold storage, and installed in the air duct and a blowing means for diffusing the outside air into the interior of the reagent cool storage through the blow pipe, a pipe having an end outside the reagent cool storage is connected to the blow pipe, and the pipe is a small unit connected to the blow pipe. and a pipe with a diameter larger than the small diameter pipe, which is provided at the bottom of the reagent cooler and discharges dew condensation generated inside the reagent cooler, and is connected to the small diameter pipe, To provide an automatic analyzer in which a large-diameter pipe terminates outside a reagent cooler.

According to the present invention, outside air is taken into the reagent cooler, and in the process, it is cooled by the cold air of the reagent cooler itself, and air is blown into the reagent cooler so that the inside of the cooler is positively pressurized and the outside air is drawn from the suction hole. It is possible to realize a reagent cool box with low power consumption and a simple structure that can prevent the occurrence of dew condensation by preventing the inflow and can equalize the temperature inside the cool box by blowing outside air.

The top view which shows the outline|summary of an automatic analyzer. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the AA cross section of the automatic analyzer. The figure which shows the BB cross section of a structural outline.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In principle, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings for describing the embodiments, and repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Example 1 is an automatic analyzer that performs analysis by mixing reagents and specimens. a refrigerant pipe installed inside the outer wall to guide outside air existing outside the reagent cool storage to the inside of the reagent cool storage; and air blowing means for diffusion.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of an automatic analyzer 101. FIG. The automatic analyzer 101 mixes a sample and a reagent and automatically analyzes the mixed measurement sample. As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic analyzer 101 includes a transport line 1, a sample probe 2 for aspirating a sample, a reaction container supply chamber 3, a reaction container supply mechanism 4, and a reaction container table 5 (incubator). , a reaction measuring device 6 , a reagent stirring rod 7 , a reagent disk 8 , a reagent probe 102 , a reagent cooler 103 , an air inlet 112 , a filter 113 , and an air blower 114 .

The reaction vessel supply warehouse 3 holds a plurality of reaction vessels 9 . The reaction container supply mechanism 4 supplies the reaction container 9 held by the reaction container supply warehouse 3 to the reaction container table 5 . The reaction vessel table 5 rotates itself to move the supplied reaction vessel 9 to a sample ejection position where the sample is ejected from the sample probe 2 .

The reagent cooler 103 accommodates reagent containers 107 containing reagents. The reagent cooler 103 has a cylindrical side wall with an outer wall and an inner wall, and the upper part forms a lid. In FIG. 1, the inside of the reagent cooler 103 is shown with a part of the lid removed. As shown in the figure, a suction hole 104 is formed in the upper lid portion of the reagent cooler 103 . Thus, the reagent cold storage 103 has an inner wall inside the outer wall.

The upper end of reagent container 107 is open. Reagent stirring rod 7 is moved to the reagent stirring position where the reagent contained in reagent container 107 is stirred. Reagent stirring rod 7 is then inserted into reagent container 107 through suction hole 104 and the upper end of reagent container 107 . Then, the reagent stirring rod 7 is rotated in the inserted state to stir the reagent contained in the reagent container. The reagent stirring rod 7 that has stirred the reagent is pulled out from the reagent container 107 .

After that, the reagent probe 102 is moved to the reagent aspirating position where the reagent is aspirated from the reagent container 107 . Then, the reagent probe 102 is inserted into the reagent container 107 through the suction hole 104 and the upper end of the reagent container 107 . Then, the reagent probe 102 aspirates the reagent from the reagent container 107 while being inserted.

The reagent probe 102 that has sucked the reagent is withdrawn from the reagent container 107 . After that, the reagent probe 102 is moved to the reagent ejection position and ejects the reagent into the reaction container 9 . After the reagent is discharged, the reaction container table 5 rotates itself to move the reaction container 9 to the sample discharge position where the sample is discharged from the sample probe 2 .

The transport line 1 transports the sample container 11 held by the test tube rack 10 to a sample aspirating position where the sample is aspirated from the sample probe 2 . A sample container 11 contains a sample. Also, the sample container 11 has an open top end. After the sample container 11 is transported to the sample aspirating position, the sample probe 2 is inserted from the upper end of the sample container 11 . The sample probe 2 aspirates the sample from the sample container 11 while being inserted.

After aspirating the sample, the sample probe 2 is withdrawn from the sample container 11 . After that, the sample probe 2 is moved to the sample ejection position. After being moved to the sample ejection position, the sample probe 2 ejects the sucked sample into the reaction container 9 .

A stirring mechanism (not shown) stirs the reagent and sample discharged into the reaction vessel 9 . The stirred reagent and sample are left for a predetermined time. After being left alone, the reaction container 9 is moved to the reaction measurement device 6 . Then, the reaction measuring device 6 measures the reaction state between the reagent and the sample that have entered the moved reaction container 9 .

One or more, for example, four reagent containers 107 are placed on the reagent disk 8, and by rotating the reagent disk 8, the reagents to be stirred and aspirated by the reagent stirring rod 7 and the reagent probe 102 can be replaced.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the AA section of the automatic analyzer. As shown in the figure, a refrigerant pipe 105 is provided between the inner wall and the outer wall of the side wall, lid, and bottom of the reagent cooler 103 so as to be in contact with the inner wall of the reagent cooler 103 . This refrigerant pipe 105 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity. This refrigerant pipe 105 is connected to a cooling device 110 , and the refrigerant cooled by the cooling device 110 circulates in the refrigerant pipe 105 . The refrigerant pipe 105 is cooled by this circulation of the refrigerant, and the inner wall of the reagent cooler 103 that is in contact with the refrigerant pipe 105 is cooled. The cold air on the inner wall is transmitted to the interior of the reagent cooler 103, thereby cooling the interior of the reagent cooler 103 to a constant temperature.

As an example, the cooling temperature here is assumed to be about 6.5°C. A material with low thermal conductivity is filled between the outer wall and the inner wall of the reagent cool box 103 (the hatched portion in FIG. 2), so that the shape is not affected by the outside air temperature.

As shown in FIG. 2, a large drain pipe 111, which is a pipe, is provided at the bottom of the reagent cooler 103. When condensation occurs inside the reagent cooler 103, the large drain pipe 111 can be drained. As a result, the dew condensation is discharged out of the reagent cooler 103 downward in the figure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a BB cross section of the schematic configuration of FIG. The air pipe 109 is a pipe for taking air from the outside of the reagent cold storage 103 into the inside of the reagent cold storage 103 from the intake port 112, and this air pipe 109 is located between the inner wall and the outer wall of the reagent cold storage 103 (shaded in FIG. 3). drawn portion) and contacts the refrigerant pipe 105 as shown in FIG. Also, the blower pipe 109 is made of a material having a high thermal conductivity, and is cooled by being in contact with the refrigerant pipe 105 . This cooling also cools the gas passing through the blower pipe 109 .

A suction port 112 and a blowing port 108 are attached to the beginning and end of the blowing pipe 109, respectively. The intake port 112 is arranged outside the outer wall of the reagent cooler 103 , and the blower port 108 is arranged inside the inner wall of the reagent cooler 103 along the inner wall. The blower pipe 109 is provided with a blower means 114 and a filter 113 on the suction side of the blower means 114 to prevent foreign matter from entering. An example of the air blower 114 is a fan. The position of the blower means 114 is between the inlet 112 and the blower 108 . In FIG. 3, the shape adjacent to the air intake port 112 is used as a specific example of the first embodiment, but the shape adjacent to the blower port 108 may also be used. Note that 115 indicates the flow of air to the intake port 112 .

The length of the blower tube 109 is such that the temperature of the outside air taken in through the inlet port 112 and blown out through the blower port 108 is within 5° C. of the temperature inside the reagent cooler 103 . For example, if the temperature in the reagent cooler 103 is 6.5° C., the length is in the range of 11.5° to 1.5°. That is, the length of the part existing inside the outer wall of the side wall of the blower tube 109 is such that the difference between the temperature of the outside air when the outside air is taken into the blowing means 114 and the temperature inside the reagent cooler 103 is within 5 degrees. is set as In FIG. 3, the case of arranging in about half of the 360° circumference of the side wall of the reagent cooler 103 is shown, but it is preferable to arrange it in the side wall of at least 45°. That is, it is preferable that the part of the air pipe 109 that exists inside the outer wall of the reagent cooler 103 is arranged at an angle of 45° or more to the side wall of the cylindrical reagent cooler 103 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the blower pipe 109 between the intake port 112 and the blower port 108 is provided with a small drain pipe 106 which is a small pipe. As shown in FIG. 3, the position where the small drain pipe 106 is provided is preferably on the air blowing port 108 side of the half of the air blowing pipe 109 . That is, an intake port and a blower port are attached to the beginning and end of the blower pipe, respectively, and a small drain pipe with a small diameter is provided on the blower port side of the half of the blower pipe.

Also, the end of the small drain pipe 106 is connected to the large drain pipe 111 . As a result, the outside air taken in by the blower pipe 109 from the intake port 112 is cooled in the blower pipe 109, and the dew condensation water generated inside the blower pipe 109 passes from the small drain pipe 106 through the large drain pipe 111, As shown in FIG. 2, the reagent is discharged out of the cold storage compartment 103 . In other words, the air pipe 109 is connected to a pipe having an end outside the reagent cooler 103 . This pipe includes a small drain pipe, which is a pipe with a small diameter connected to the blower pipe 109, and a large drain pipe, which is a pipe with a diameter larger than the small diameter, which is provided at the bottom of the reagent cooler and is connected to the pipe with a small diameter. A large drain pipe, which is a pipe with a large diameter, has an end outside the reagent cooler.

As described above, cooled outside air is introduced through the air pipe 109 into the reagent cooler 103 of the automatic analyzer of this embodiment. As a result, the reagent cooler 103 is pressurized positively, preventing the inflow of outside air from the suction hole 104 of the lid, thereby preventing dew condensation. Furthermore, by blowing the cooled outside air from the blower port 108 into the inside of the reagent cooler 103, the air inside the reagent cooler 103 is agitated and the inner temperature is made uniform. In order to increase the efficiency of this air agitation, as shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable to arrange the blower port 108 of the blower pipe 109 inside the inner wall of the reagent cooler 103 and along the inner wall.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications. For example, the above embodiments have been described in detail for better understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described.

1 Transfer line 2 Sample probe 3 Reaction container supply box 4 Reaction container supply mechanism 5 Reaction container table 6 Reaction measuring device 7 Reagent stirring rod 8 Reagent disk 9 Reaction container 10 Test tube rack 11 Sample container 101 Automatic analyzer 102 Reagent probe 103 Reagent Refrigerator 104 Suction hole 105 Refrigerant pipe 106 Small drain pipe 107 Reagent container 108 Blower port 109 Blower pipe 110 Cooling device 111 Large drain pipe 112 Suction port 113 Filter 114 Blower means 115 Air flow

Claims (10)

An automatic analyzer that performs analysis by mixing reagents and specimens,
a reagent cooler storing reagent containers;
a refrigerant pipe that is installed inside the outer wall of the reagent cold storage and circulates the refrigerant inside the outer wall;
a blowing pipe installed inside the outer wall in contact with the refrigerant pipe and guiding outside air existing outside the reagent cool storage to the inside of the reagent cool storage;
a blower installed in the blower pipe for diffusing the outside air into the reagent cold storage through the blower pipe,
A pipe having a terminal end outside the reagent cooler is connected to the air pipe,
The piping includes a small-diameter pipe connected to the blower tube and a pipe provided at the bottom of the reagent cool-box for discharging dew condensation generated inside the reagent cool-box. and a pipe having a diameter larger than the small diameter,
the large-diameter pipe terminates outside the reagent cooler;
An automatic analyzer characterized by: The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
The length of the portion of the blower tube that exists inside the outer wall is such that the difference between the temperature of the outside air when the outside air is taken into the blowing means and the temperature in the reagent cooler is 5 degrees (5°C). is set to be within
An automatic analyzer characterized by: The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
The side wall of the reagent cooler is cylindrical,
The portion of the blower pipe that exists inside the outer wall is arranged at 45° or more of the cylindrical side wall,
An automatic analyzer characterized by: The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
An air intake port and an air blow port are attached to the beginning and end of the air duct, respectively,
The automatic analyzer, wherein the small-diameter pipe is provided closer to the blow port than a half of the blow pipe. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
A filter for preventing contamination with foreign matter is provided on the intake side of the air blowing means,
An automatic analyzer characterized by: The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
The reagent cooler has a lid part having a suction hole in a part thereof,
Positive pressure is applied to the reagent cooler by the air blower to prevent inflow of outside air from the suction hole;
An automatic analyzer characterized by: The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
The reagent cooler has an inner wall inside the outer wall,
An automatic analyzer characterized by: The automatic analyzer according to claim 7,
An air intake port and an air blow port are attached to the beginning and end of the air duct, respectively,
The air outlet is arranged along the inner wall inside the inner wall of the reagent cold storage,
An automatic analyzer characterized by: The automatic analyzer according to claim 7,
The refrigerant pipe and the blower pipe are arranged between the outer wall and the inner wall,
An automatic analyzer characterized by: The automatic analyzer according to claim 9,
The refrigerant pipe is in contact with the inner wall,
An automatic analyzer characterized by:

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